Flory Bidunga Just Asked for $5 Million to Stay in College, and It Could Flip the Entire Big Man Market

Here's the math that's about to shake up college basketball: Flory Bidunga is asking for $5 million to return to school instead of entering the NBA Draft. That number just reset the entire market for big men.

The Kansas big man averaged 13 points and nine rebounds per game this season and is the top-ranked prospect in the college basketball transfer portal. He's also a projected first-round pick, currently slated at No. 29 on the CBS Sports Big Board. Sounds like a guy who should declare for the draft, right? Wrong.

The Money Doesn't Lie

If Bidunga stayed in the draft and got picked 29th, he'd make roughly $2.3 million next year in the NBA. To push that up to $3 million, he'd need to crack the top 20. To hit $5 million in the league? You're looking at a top-10 pick, which isn't happening for him.

In college basketball's robust big man market right now, though, schools are willing to pay him $5 million for one more season. That's more than double what the NBA would offer him as a late first-rounder. And here's the kicker: Kansas couldn't meet that price tag, according to CBS Sports sources. So he's leaving Lawrence either way.

This Could Set Off a Domino Effect

The real story isn't just about Bidunga. Seven of the top eight centers on the CBS Sports Big Board are underclassmen ranked between 20-40, putting them right on the first-round fringe. With Bidunga now proving you can make nearly twice as much by staying in school, virtually all of them will have to seriously consider it.

Take Michigan's Morez Johnson and Aday Mara. Both are expected to be first-round picks if they declare, a massive leap from how they were perceived in the 2025 cycle. Johnson showed newly found versatility and efficiency that's pushed his stock. Mara, the 7-foot-3 Spaniard, was a defensive force down the stretch of the NCAA Tournament, shutting down the rim while showing surprising perimeter mobility and solid passing instincts.

Here's the tension though: for Mara especially, his stock might never be higher than it is right now. Could another year in college actually hurt his value? That's the gamble. Meanwhile, Michigan is already working contingencies and landed a commitment from Tennessee transfer JP Estrel, hedging their bets.

The dominoes are about to fall across the country. Bidunga just gave every big man on the fringe a reason to think twice about the draft.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.